The Plan (Capitol Love Series Book 1) Read online

  He smiled. “Hope so.”

  Savannah was resisting the urge to grab Rayne by the hand and drag her to the door, and she spun around so fast that she bumped right into Colin. He immediately took a step back. He was wearing his usual jeans, but today he had on a white button-down shirt that was open at the throat and a wide leather belt. And he was carrying an electronic tablet and a file folder.

  “Savannah!” he said, looking surprised and—though she might have been imagining it—miserable at the same time.

  “We were just leaving,” Savannah said.

  “Don’t go on our account,” Jessica said. “Stay and have dinner. Colin’s put together quite the menu—” She stopped short at the menacing look on Colin’s face.

  “I already know all about it,” Savannah said, waving her arm to encompass the whole restaurant. “This was your big lie? That you’re a...a restaurant mogul?”

  Colin stayed where he was, but Chase turned to Rayne and Jessica and said, “Want to grab a drink at the bar?” They both said yes, and the three of them nearly broke into a run.

  When they were gone, Savannah said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  The muscle in Colin’s jaw flexed. She’s never seen him looking so angry and tired, and she doubted she looked much better. But her heart hurt, and she was getting tired of that feeling.

  “So what? Was it all just an elaborate prank or some kind of test to see how long it took me to figure out who you really are?” she asked. “Who else was in on your game?”

  He clenched his free hand into a fist, and she was starting to think he wasn’t going to answer when he finally said, “I didn’t tell you because I wanted to prove to you that what I did for a living didn’t matter. We had an instant connection, but as soon as you learned I was just a bartender, you immediately crossed me off your list of datable men.”

  “That’s not—” Savannah started to protest.

  “Don’t try to say it’s not true because you know it is. But it’s OK. Because I was actually relieved to meet someone who didn’t know I was one of those Allisons. It seemed perfect. I’d get you to admit we had a connection and get you to fall for me, I’d know it was for me and not my money, and you’d see that your plan was just silly.”

  Anger started welling up inside her, mixed with hurt. “You really think I’m that shallow? That I’m only interested in guys for their money and family name?”

  “You’re the one who was screening dates based on their occupations.”

  “That’s different,” she said, her anger taking over now. “I was trying to narrow the field. At least I was upfront about it.”

  “That doesn’t make it any less short-sighted.”

  The remark stung, but she couldn’t back off now. “So you were just pretending to be a bad boy. Did we even need to sneak into the stadium that day?”

  “My family owns a concession stand. I showed the security guard my staff ID.”

  “And Crystal?”

  Colin sighed. “I was helping her out of a jam with her supplier. She needed more baking materials than she realized.”

  Savannah felt like a fool. Diana, Crystal, Chase—they must have had a great time laughing behind her back.

  “I knew that whole day was make-believe,” she said, sounding more wounded than she would have liked.

  “You were pretending, too,” he shot back. “Pretending to be someone who doesn’t need to check a spreadsheet before she sleeps with someone.”

  Savannah’s mouth opened in a little O of surprise, and she flushed bright red at his words—and at the sight of a well-dressed older couple who’d come to a stop behind Colin.

  “Hello, Colin,” the man said. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

  Colin’s expression switched from anger to something closer to exhaustion, and he closed his eyes for a moment before slowly turning to face the couple.

  “Hello, Dad, Mom,” he said.

  His father had sharp features and the erect bearing of a military man, and his suit looked like it cost more than Savannah’s entire wardrobe. He was staring at Colin with a cold expression, but his mother put her arms around her son and hugged him tight.

  “I love what you’ve done with the place, sweetie,” she said, beaming and gesturing around. “The natural lighting, the raw wood decor—it’s all fantastic.”

  Then her gaze came to rest on Savannah. She held out her hand and said, “Bea Allison. And you are...?”

  It took Savannah a moment to find her voice. “Savannah. Savannah George.”

  “It’s a pleasure, my dear. And this is my husband Henry.”

  Colin’s dad glanced at her, but his expression didn’t change, and he didn’t acknowledge Savannah other than to glance at her and then away. For a split second, Savannah thought she might understand why Colin had wanted to hide his family from her, or at least his father.

  “I reserved a table for us in the back,” Colin told his parents, “where we’ll have a little more privacy.”

  “Yes, private matters should be discussed in private,” Henry said.

  And Savannah thought the evening couldn’t get any more humiliating.

  Fortunately, Chase chose that moment to stroll over from the bar, with Jessica and Rayne right behind him.

  “Chase!” his mother squealed with delight. “I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”

  “Hi, Mom,” Jessica said, smiling and giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Remember me?”

  “Oh, of course I do, pumpkin, but I see you all the time, while Chase here—”

  “Relax, Mom,” Chase said, putting his arm around her. “I’ll be in town for a least a month.” He winked at Rayne. “Maybe even two.”

  Rayne blushed and sidled over to stand next to Savannah. In a low voice, she said, “How are you doing?”

  “Can we please get the hell out of here?”

  “Absolutely.” Rayne linked her arm through Savannah’s, flashed a bright smile at the Allison clan, and said, “It was so nice to see you all, but we’ve got to take off now.” And without waiting for a reply, she guided Savannah to the door.

  Chapter 23

  A waitress walked up and offered to show the Allisons to their table. As they headed for the rear of the restaurant, Jessica hung back with Colin.

  “So I’m guessing things didn’t go so well with Savannah,” she said.

  “Nope.”

  “Want to get drunk later and talk about it?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, the good news is that you still get to do your presentation for Dad!” she said with jazz hands.

  “Yippee!”

  As they reached the table, their father said, “So nice of you to join us.”

  Colin ignored the comment and signaled to the waitress, who came straight to the table with the cranberry brie crostinis that had been a huge hit when he tested them out at Zipped, along with prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella cubes on toothpicks.

  “So you’re not giving us a full tasting menu, just some appetizers? Interesting approach,” Henry said as he took the glass of red wine out of the waitress’ hand before she could set it down.

  “Oh, Henry, really,” Bea said with an expression that made Jessica choke on her crostini.

  Colin didn’t react, and a moment later, another waiter arrived with freshly baked rosemary focaccia and three dipping oils. “And when we’re done with these, another tray will arrive,” Colin said. “Rest assured, Dad, you’ll have the full tasting menu experience tonight.” Colin forced a smile before taking a long sip of his wine.

  Then he took a deep breath and tried to focus his thoughts and control his emotions so he could make sure this meeting went well. Whenever a new restaurant opened, his father made the general manager—in this case, Colin—explain his plan for profitability and success, which basically meant repeating back Henry’s own strategy for profitability and success. With most GMs, it was just for show, just so they knew that Henry Allison was more t
han a name on their paycheck and he was watching them. But with Colin, it was much more personal, and normally Colin was an expert at charming his father and not letting his gruff mannerisms distract him. But he’d been off his game since losing Savannah, and that scene a few minutes ago definitely didn’t help.

  His father owned only five percent of Balance&Bite—the minimum ownership required for a restaurant to be part of the Allison Inc. umbrella. Colin had put up most of the money himself from the profits he’d earned at Zipped, and the rest came from Chase and Jessica. He had debated taking this restaurant outside his father’s reach, but there were too many advantages to being part of the family conglomerate. And despite how frustrating his father could be, Colin recognized the benefit of having his input and meeting his high standards.

  Colin went over his marketing plan and projected profit and loss statement for the first year, knowing his dad had nothing to object to. He made his case thoroughly and clearly, but all the while, he was thinking about how tired Savannah had looked and how her mascara was smeared as if she’d been crying. And though he couldn’t recall everything she’d said, the anger and hurt had come through loud and clear.

  His father set down his wine glass, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and nodded.

  “I can’t argue with the quality of the wine or the food,” he said, “and the numbers certainly seem to be in order.”

  That was high praise from his father, and Colin started to smile.

  “But I am concerned about your ability to meet these projections when your personal life seems so volatile.”

  Colin sat back in his chair and took a deep breath, knowing that it wasn’t worth arguing with his father but wanting to do it anyway. “My personal life has never interfered with business.”

  “The kind of scene we walked in on might fly at Zipped, but it’s not going to work here.”

  Colin felt the heat rise in his face and was about to tell his father to go to hell when Jessica put a hand on his arm to stop him.

  “Henry, I think you’ve made your point,” Bea said. “Why don’t you wait until there is an actual problem to fuss about before you start to fuss?”

  “Fine,” Henry said. “I’ll fuss about a real problem then.” Turning back to Colin, he said, “I was going over some paperwork with Holly Winslow the other day. I understand there’s some inventory discrepancies associated with Zipped, specifically regarding several missing bags of sugar and flour. She said she already had a conversation with you about it. Care to tell me what’s going on and why we’re suddenly having trouble keeping track of our supplies?”

  Colin’s jaw twitched, but he forced himself not to fidget or look away. “It was temporarily misplaced. Everything’s in order now.”

  “Misplaced?”

  “Yeah, Dad,” Chase said, pouring his father another glass of wine and topping off his own. “It’s a big operation. Things occasionally get put someplace where no one’s looking for them. Haven’t you ever lost track of anything—say, a car maybe?”

  Jessica and Bea laughed, and even Colin cracked a smile. It was a favorite family story. Back when they were kids, his dad was in charge of multiple restaurants and running himself so ragged that one night he took a cab home because he didn’t trust himself to drive. And then the next morning, when the car wasn’t in the driveway, he called the cops to report it stolen.

  “Very funny, Chase,” his father said, but he was smiling, too.

  A while later, when everyone had sampled the dark-chocolate-and-orange tart and were saying their goodbyes, Colin leaned over and said to Chase, “Thanks for the save back there.”

  Chase nodded. “I’ve got your back, bro. Crystal told me what was going on. She’s been worried about you getting into trouble with the old man. She found a new supplier—someone who will let her order smaller amounts more frequently, which should fix her cash flow problem. And she wants to pay you back.”

  “The money’s not the issue,” Colin said as they walked through the restaurant. “I’ve just been so distracted lately that I didn’t get a chance to replace the stuff before it showed up as missing.”

  As they pushed through the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk, Colin said, “And hey, since when are you talking to Crystal? Don’t tell me you finally worked up the courage to walk into Sweet Happens.”

  He playfully punched his brother’s arm, and Chase grinned at him. “What choice did I have—her muffins are the best in the city. And that hazelnut coffee is the bomb.”

  “Just don’t break her heart—again,” Colin said. “She was finally getting to the point where I could have a whole conversation with her without your name coming up.”

  “Anything for you, bro. And hey, just so you know, I feel like shit about what I said to Savannah that morning. I should have kept my mouth shut.”

  Colin shook his head. “It’s not your fault. The whole thing was a mess anyway.”

  “I don’t suppose meeting good ol’ Henry helped your case any.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Colin said. “She’s pretty mad and hurt, and I don’t see a way back from here. So I guess that’s that. And I’ve got work to do.”

  “See you back at the apartment later?” Chase asked.

  “‘Later’ is the key word. I need to check on things at Zipped, then I’ll be back here until closing.”

  With an affectionate first bump, the brothers parted ways. Colin was grateful that he had so much to do and keep track of. It helped him push thoughts of Savannah to the back of his mind, where they could only occasionally surface as a nagging sense of regret.

  Chapter 24

  The day after her run-in with Colin was Savannah’s last workday before the big event on Saturday night. She spent it rechecking her to-do list and seating chart as last-minute changes kept coming in, while making a dizzying number of other decisions. She was running on very little sleep, but the adrenaline kept her going. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the situation with Colin, she would have been loving every minute of her day.

  Saturday morning, as she walked to her hair appointment, she went through her mental checklist for the millionth time to reassure herself that she could spare some time at a fancy salon to get her hair done, finally convincing herself that it would be faster to have a professional do it anyway.

  Ninety minutes later, she stepped back onto the street with her hair pulled up into a twist with loose curls framing her face, surprised at how relaxed and confident she felt.

  After stopping at home to pick up her dress, she walked to the community center where they were holding the event just as her boss Sarah was walking up.

  “Everything all set?” Sarah asked. Savannah could tell she was trying to sound casual but was actually very nervous.

  She smiled at Sarah, determined not to take it personally. “Well,” she said as she pulled the door open, “the florists are pulling up now, I see volunteers are already setting up the tables, caterers should be on their way, and we still have a whole three hours until the event starts, so I think we’re in good shape.”

  An hour later, as she and Sarah were helping the florist put pale pink peonies in crystal bowls on each of the tables, Savannah’s cell phone buzzed. It was the catering company. At the words “accident” and “totaled,” she hurried out onto the sidewalk so she wouldn’t lose it in front of Sarah.

  “Don’t you have another truck?” she said, trying to stay calm and find a solution, but her heart was hammering and her head was starting to hurt.

  “It’s already out on a job for another customer” was the reply.

  “I don’t give a damn about your other customer! I need my food here. Now!”

  “We will return your down payment, and we’d be happy to help you find another caterer.”

  “Forget it. I’ll do it myself.”

  She resisted the urge to throw the phone on the ground and stomp on it.

  Colin could not stop thinking about his run-in with Savannah the other nigh
t. He hated to admit it, but even though they were fighting, he’d still enjoyed being near her. At times, he had trouble recalling exactly what the problem was, and he was starting to wonder if maybe they could just start over.

  As he wiped down the already clean bar, lost in thought, he didn’t notice that Diana had come in until she said, “I saw your girl on my way over here.”

  “My girl?” Then it dawned on him. “She’s not my girl,” he said throwing the rag at a black bin and starting to stack glasses. “Not anymore.”

  Diana studied him as she picked up an order pad and pen and stuck them in her apron pocket.

  “She’s at the community center over on 4th,” she said. “They’re setting up for a party or something. She looked pretty stressed. She was yelling into her phone and waving her arms around like a crazy person.”

  Colin stopped stacking glasses. “Oh yeah, I think today is her big event. I hope nothing is going wrong.” He knew he shouldn’t care, but he wanted to go check on her.

  Diana glanced around at the handful of people in the bar. “I’ve got this.”

  Colin looked at her. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, drop the act. I know you’re dying to run over there and check on her. So GO. I’ve got this.”

  Without another thought, Colin turned and headed for the door, yelling, “Thanks D!” over his shoulder.

  As he jogged the four blocks to the community center, he told himself that even if they weren’t going to date, they could at least be friends. He’d take that over nothing.

  He saw her from a block away, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk while furiously tapping on her cell phone screen.

  “Are you OK?” he asked when he reached her.

  Startled, she stopped pacing and stared at him for a second before laughing a short, humorless laugh.

  “I don’t need any more drama today.”

  “No drama, I promise. I just want to help if I can.”

  “Well, my caterer is stuck in Annapolis with a busted-up truck, so unless you can produce an entire catering staff and food for fifty people from your pocket, we have nothing to talk about.”